The present invention is related to an apparatus for positioning a gearbox in a wind energy plant, which gearbox is mounted by way of a planet carrier shaft in prolongation of the rotor shaft, and is supported on a bearing structure of the wind energy plant by way of a torque support.
In wind energy plants, it is frequently resorted to a two-point bearing or a moment bearing in order to mount the rotor. In this bearing, the gearbox is tied at the generator side to a rotor shaft or a construction similar to the rotor shaft directly or via a flange, in order to transfer the torques from the rotor into the gearbox for torque conversion. However, at the generator side of the rotor bearing, the gearbox is mounted like the rotor by way of the gearbox input shaft (the planet carrier shaft) connected to the rotor shaft and in connection with a planet carrier of the first planetary stage of the gearbox. The reaction moments on the gearbox occurring in the torque of the wind energy plant must be guided into a bearing structure via a torque support. In order to avoid a statically overdetermined bearing of the gearbox through the combination of rotor bearing and planet carrier bearing, it is known to use uncoupling elements on the torque support. By way of example, such uncoupling elements are known from EP 1 566 543 A1, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein by reference, and from DE 20 2005 001 519 U1, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein by reference. It is the task of the uncoupling elements to reduce the additional bearing forces which occur in rotor bearings and in the planet carrier bearings due to production tolerances, deviations in the installation and deformations in the operation. The uncoupling elements are made of elastomers, which have a predetermined stiffness or a matched characteristic curve of the stiffness.
When using uncoupling elements, it is necessary to adjust the position of the gearbox with respect to the rotor bearing very accurately on location, in order to keep the influence of production deviations and installation deviations as small as possible. Up to now, the positioning of the gearbox takes place by two wedges for instance, which are shifted against each other in order to accurately adjust the height of the torque support with respect to the bearing structure in this way.
The present invention is based on the objective to provide an apparatus for positioning a gearbox in a wind energy plant which permits an accurate positioning of the gearbox with means which are as simple as possible.